Tea Board India issues notices to 169 buyers for non-submission of quarterly returns

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Tea Board India has issued show-cause notices to 169 buyers for non-submission of quarterly returns through prescribed formats. Of the 169 tea buyers, 5 are based in Assam.

Regarding non-submission of quarterly returns, the Tea Board has issued a notice asking the 169 buyers to submit their reply in writing within 15 days from the issue date, failing which action shall be initiated by the Board, including cancellation of their registration certificates.

According to the Tea Board’s order, a buyer can carry on the activities of buying tea from any public tea auction licensed by the Tea Board or directly from the manufacturer of tea only under a valid registration obtained from the Registering Authority, as per the provisions of the Tea (Marketing) Control Order, 2003.

The notice quotes Paragraph 7(2) of the Order 2003, under which “Every registered buyer shall furnish to the Registering Authority a quarterly return in Form ‘F’ or such other information as the Registering Authority may, by special or general order, call for from time to time.”

As per the Tea Board’s notice, “Whereas, as per the records of Tea Board, the buyers (whose names appear in a list appended to the notice) have not submitted the quarterly return for the period from January, 2025 to June, 2025, for which show cause notices to each such individual buyer through speed post and each such notice has been returned undelivered by the Postal Department.”

The notice goes on to state that each such defaulting buyer has given a false/incorrect address while applying for buyer registration or has closed down the business.

The Tea Board notice finally directs the defaulting buyers to submit their reply in writing within fifteen (15) days from the date of issuance of the notice, “failing which action shall be initiated by Tea Board against them for violation of the provisions of sub paragraph (a), (b) and (c) of paragraph 6(1) of the Tea (Marketing) Control Order, 2003, including cancellation of their Registration Certificate.”

The Assam-based buyers named in a list appended to the notice are Balaji Enterprises (with an address in Guwahati’s Hatigaon), Resawal Food Enterprises (firm’s address given as Ulubari, Guwahati), M/s Sanjib Nath (with an address in Baksa), JJ Enterprises (address given as Athgaon, Guwahati) and Maya Store (Nalapara, Guwahati).

Also Read: Indian and Assam Tea Production Fall in 2024: Tea Board of India